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How the Dodger bullpen shapes up for NLCS Game 2

The Dodgers are hoping they won’t need their bullpen behind National League Championship Series Game 2 starter Clayton Kershaw, but in case they do …

• Kenley Jansen should be good to go after throwing only five pitches Friday.

• Brian Wilson figures to be sidelined after throwing 28 pitches.

• Ronald Belisario, who had a breezy nine-pitch inning, would probably start the eighth inning if needed – perhaps in combination with J.P. Howell, who threw 15. Howell might also be saved to face Carlos Beltran if the situation arises post-Kershaw.

At least Donnie spelled AJ with KFed fairly often. That’s one good move he’s made this year.

WBBsAs

It took long enough to realize that FedEx was more up to the job than Ramón Hernández, though.

foul tip

Which smelled more like a Nedism. PVL and such.

WBBsAs

I agree, it wasn’t Don alone.

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Not having the Pac-12 Network will spare me any channel-switching dilemmas today.

btimmer

Larry Scott is not happy with that.

btimmer

I’ll be watching an Ivory Coast- Senegal World Cup qualifier before the game. So far, it’s all Elephants.

WBBsAs

Elephants > soccer

twaseverthus

I’m surprised to not see more grief over the decision to have MEllis bunt in the 12th with Crawford on 1st and no outs, as if there was a snowball’s chance in hell that Hanley wouldn’t be walked, putting Michael Young in a perfect DP situation. That, to me, is the far more unquestionably wrong move, between that and pinch-running Dee.

http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Oh, there’s grief.

http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

Not to say simmering anger, no, not at all. Mattingly is addicted to the sacrifice bunt.

scooplew

Yes he refuses to try a squeeze. With Ellis on third and Ramirez on first with one out in the 12th, that would have been an opportune time to squeeze with Young.

Bob_in_Vegas

definitely, if Young can handle the bunt

scooplew

Well, I just checked. Young hasn’t had a sacrifice bunt since 2003. He probably was rarely, if ever, asked to lay one down.

Any guesses why? I rather liked his input, thought he was much better than the froggy guy.

btimmer

I assume the Time-Warner channel wants to make its broadcasts different from Fox broadcasts.

thescrounger

That it is a company thing is encouraging. TW could very well hire him for next year.

http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

Oh please. We’re rid of him now, don’t throw him a life ring.

btimmer

That would mean 2015. He must know that TW doesn’t want him for 2014.

twaseverthus

That’s a real shame. I know he’s got plenty of detractors, but when it comes to analysis, he’s one of the best in the game – astute and frank. I can only hope Collins is gone too.

Bob_Hendley

He is frank.

WBBsAs

And, more often than not, irritating and obnoxious.

WBBsAs

Other than the Series win over the Barves, the best news of this post-season.

ASW1

Hanley Ramirez getting smoked in the ribs last night might just turn out to be more harmful to the Dodgers chances this postseason than simply losing game 1 of a 7 game series.

Bob_in_Vegas

Agree. Will the others step up — even if he’s in the lineup?

foul tip

How long will it take for some idiots to comment somewhere that the Cards hit him on purpose just for that reason?

Bumsrap

Maybe not intentionally but certainly trying to knock him off the plate so they can work the slider down and away and hope for an out be fine with walking him.

ASW1

Yeah – no way he hits him on purpose there but most likely trying to drive him off the plate so he’s not so comfortable up there – a *purpose pitch*, if you will. Well, it may end up serving much more of a purpose than was originally intended, which would be just fine with the Cardinals.

foul tip

Yeah, I know it wasn’t deliberate, ….no intent at all.

Just wondering what some commenters in some other places might say. Often they live down to expectations.

foul tip

Sonny Gray suffered a broken left thumb when hit by a drive off Prince Fielder’s bat in the 5th of Game 5.

And still pitched into the 6th.

Inquiring minds want to know: does this immediately qualify him for the Grittiness Hall of Fame ?

btimmer

It wasn’t his pitching hand and he doesn’t bat, so he probably didn’t notice it THAT much.

foul tip

Might have made fielding interesting.

Bob_in_Vegas

I pitched one inning of softball with a fractured wrist on my glove hand and ended up knocking down the return throws from the catcher. Luckily nothing was hit to me — but my style of fielding was always matador-like: get out of the way of the ball.

RBI

Hanley scratched. We are of finally underdogs now. Let’s go Dodgers!

ASW1

Not a promising development.
As long as the Dodgers can win this one today, then hopefully Hanley good to go by Monday night.